Women Riding The Wave

Being an avid SMH reader (and lazy butt-hole who forks out the $1.20 each day instead of subscribing) I found this article commenting on the roles of women in the aftermath of the tsunami. Women Riding The Wave, I found was a insightful read into the changing lives of the women in Sri Lanka. While up to 70% of the women and children were lost in the Boxing Day tsunami, more and more women it seems, have begun to pick up masculine roles such as fishing in order to survive and cater to their remaining families and loved ones.

It seems that these women are determined to rebuild their lives, both emotionally and economically. Men are remarrying much younger spouses after losing their wives and children to the tsunami, and these women have to make a greater effort in order to care for their existing loved ones. Furthermore, The Guardian reports show an increase of alcohol consumption among men and teenage boys, amongst other things, since the tsunami. Men appear to be losing their purpose for life, garnering an increased feeling of hopelessness in rebuilding their lives - another reason as to why women seem to be taking matters into their own hands.

Alarmingly though, in the midst of the tsunami clean-up in Sri Lanka, the civil war continues with the New York Times reporting that the ceasefire between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government is breaking. It's no wonder that with this ongoing civil war, along with the slow use of international aid devoted to reconstruction of the lives of these civilians that these women have decided to take things into their own hands.

In another report, the women of Tamil Nadu in India are seeking to undergo surgery in a bid to conceive again, and possibly replace the children they lost in the disaster. The SMH reports the small number of women who have become successful in conceiving after having the surgery to reconnect their fallopian tubes in order to conceive. It's a stark contrast to the women in the Sri Lanka who are fishing and engaging in masculine tasks in order to maintain their community. The women in Tamil Nadu, it seems, are trying to keep from losing their husbands to younger women - who are much more able to conceive and produce children - by undergoing this surgery. I think they fear losing even more as a result of the tsunam, their children, and their husbands as well.

There are so many issues that tie into this aftermath of the tsunami - way to many to discuss here in this one blog entry. I'll post later when I find more and when I get my thoughts into order - oh the dramas of Christmas aftermath!